Mainstream media spread war propaganda

Editors, Asheville Global Report,

On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I, like every other American in this nation, watched in horror as an apparent terrorist attack was played out against the citizens of this country. I wish it was something I could say I never thought I would see in my lifetime, but the fact is, it came as no surprise. I was glued to the TV all day as I watched the reports coming in from New York and Washington. I really wish I could find the proper words to describe what I was feeling as I was blasted with images of exploding airplanes and burning buildings. I guess it was the reaction of most people, fear and anger.

My greatest fear, however, was not if terrorists would attack near my home, or if this was the end to the attacks. My greatest fear was (and is) how the American people will react to this horrible tragedy. … The sad fact about all of this is that the American public will believe anything that the mainstream media tells them. …

Unfortunately I don’t feel war is avoidable. There are going to be serious repercussions from today’s attacks. We live in a violent society where violence is the only way that things get done. I wish that wasn’t true, but it is. I picture the American people right now as millions of sleeping robots who, upon hearing the explosion of a bomb or the shouts of war, are awakened by their pre-programming to begin their “duties” as American citizens who want to fight the “tyranny” in this world. But once this present “tyranny” has been defeated this time around, these robots will more than likely go right back into sleep mode to await the next national call.

And so, those of us who have made the decision not to be controlled by the propaganda that has infected our own country have a responsibility to our fellow citizens. It is our responsibility to do everything we can to make sure that we do not fall back into sleep mode once the world is “safe” again. The alternative press, today, has the means to reach an audience as big as the one that CNN and NBC reach. It is imperative that we do not make the same mistakes that we have made in the past as a nation. We must organize and do everything we can to poke holes and dissect everything that the mainstream media is feeding into our communities and into our minds. We must do whatever we can to get people to question everything they hear from the news and look at the facts instead of what they want you to know and believe. Publications such as the Asheville Global Report exist for this purpose. The AGR exists because so many of us realize that the media is biased and is used by the government for their own purposes.

What I propose is that alternative media band together on a national front. We get people up to New York and DC and we work together to get the facts out, not just biased interpretations of the facts. Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I do not know who is at fault for this attack. I am not saying that we should not defend ourselves from terrorists. What I am saying is that from what I am seeing on the news, I feel that we as a nation are jumping into the idea of war without thinking of the consequences of such an action. After watching how quick we were to put someone to death for the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building, I do not want to see this nation make such a mistake again, because this time, millions of more lives could be at stake.

Use your heads, America. Think for yourselves. Do not be swayed by the opinions of others, and question everything before you jump to conclusions.

Jamie Parker
Asheville, NC

Mahaffey no imitator

Editors, Asheville Global Report,

I am writing to express my household’s support for the mayoral campaign of Mickey Mahaffey. This is a man uniquely qualified to serve our city.

Mickey Mahaffey is not a politician — he is a lifelong steward of our mountains and our streets. As a civil servant and outspoken defender of public comment at city hall, Mahaffey has worked for years to increase direct public involvement at every level of city government. Through hands-on participation — whether it’s picking up litter, meeting with the police or fighting for cleaner air, Mahaffey has demonstrated the ability, passion and vision necessary to bring higher standards and accountability to our city officials and make the city budget a reflection of balance and foresight.

I believe that the most knowledgeable citizens in our city are too often those who are not given a voice in how things are run. But Mickey Mahaffey believes that everybody has something to offer— no matter how much money they have, who they know or what they do for a living. Accept no imitations. This is the guy we need in office.

James Howell
Asheville, NC

Local Leonard Peltier group leader resigns

Editors, Asheville Global Report,

I am resigning as the leader of the local Leonard Peltier Support Group effective immediately. I have enjoyed working with many of you over the past few years and wish to thank all of the individuals and businesses who have supported the group since I started it several years ago. Currently, other integral members of our local group refuse to talk or even see me. We have had some personal differences and I was hoping we could put them aside and continue to work together for the people. Unfortunately, this does not seem possible. In order for the work to continue for the people in a good way, I feel it is best if I remove myself from this situation.

I was hoping that the rest of my group would continue to run the Leonard Peltier Support Group on their own because they have the skills, experience, and Native connections that would insure the group would continue to be successful. I was told that they consider the Leonard Peltier Support Group over and that they have their own group.

I have been working with Leonard’s Defense Committee for the past few years and they and myself are both saddened by the news. They let me know that if anyone else in the area wants to start a new Leonard Peltier Support Group in Asheville to contact them and they can register themselves as a support group online. I encourage someone else in the community to do this.

I would like to see that Asheville will still have a Leonard Peltier Support Group. It doesn’t matter if I can no longer be involved as long as the work for Leonard and the people continue locally in a good way.

The Leonard Peltier Defense Committee can be reached at PO Box 583 Lawrence, Kansas 66044; Ph: (785) 842-5774, fax: (785) 842-5796, e-mail: lpdc@idir.net, web: www.freepeltier.org

Monique Turoff,
Asheville, NC

FROM THE EDITORS

HELP SUSTAIN INDEPENDENT MEDIA

A worldwide movement of ordinary people is fighting the corporate takeover of the planet. From the Nigerian delta to the streets of Genoa, Italy, from the Argentinian countryside to the factories of South Korea, from Iraqi bomb shelters to American neighborhoods, people are rising up. Active citizens are saying no to environmental destruction, to war and violence, to a world where the rich profit while working people suffer, and saying yes to peace, equality, and a clean environment.

This movement is in opposition to a new global conquest: an economic system controlled by the super-rich, with the tools of the modern corporation, global “free trade” policies, and ruthless military forces.

Central to this struggle is the battle over communications media. Over the last fifty years, the United States has seen an unprecedented power shift: newspapers, magazines, book publishers and bookstores, radio and TV stations, are increasingly controlled by the same giant corporations that are profiting from the larger corporate takeover. The result is that dissident voices are squeezed out, and the media become a way to be entertained, rather than a way to learn about the world, and organize for change.

Asheville Global Report — as part of a nationwide media activism movement — is fighting back. As one of only a few weekly progressive newspapers in the country, we provide a forum for news and perspectives about the real world, where people are struggling for change. AGR is a tool for education and action.

Every week since January, 1999, AGR has covered the growing movement against corporate globalization, the fight against genetically engineered food, the US wars against Iraq, Yugoslavia, and Colombia, labor struggles around the world, the increasing threats to the environment, and much more. Our reporters have traveled to Seattle, Quebec, and Washington, DC, to Chiapas, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Haiti, and Germany.

Our website brings the newspaper to readers around the world.

In addition, AGR has played a role in the creation of three other independent newspapers. Triangle Free Press is a Raleigh-area monthly newspaper modeled after Asheville Global Report. El Eco is Asheville’s new Spanish-language newspaper, launched by AGR volunteers and produced with the help of AGR. The Candidates’ Forum is a weekly newspaper covering Asheville city council elections, produced with help from AGR.

AGR is published by an all-volunteer staff, in a tiny downtown office, with a total yearly budget of $20,000. We don’t have access to big-money advertisers, rich funders, or powerful connections. We receive a small amount of income from advertising sales, and we received grants from the Dandelion Fund and the Fund for Wild Nature this year, but most of our income is from individual readers like you. This is a people’s newspaper, and it can exist only if people like you contribute whatever they can to help us pay our bills.

This fall, we are embarking on an important fundraising drive. We need 100 new donors. If you have made a donation in the past, we thank you, and we ask that you support us again now. If you have never made a donation to AGR, we need your help now. AGR is a free service to the community, but the newspaper can only survive if our readers do the right thing and give whatever they can. It is especially helpful to make a donation of $35 or more, but any amount is important. If you read AGR, if you consider our work to be important, then please send in a check or money order today. P.O. Box 1504, Asheville, NC 28802. Asheville Global Report is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; your donation is tax-deductible.

Thank you.